The invention relates to a trigger safety device for firearms comprising a trigger capable of reciprocal pivotal motion about a fulcrum, and a trigger guard which protects the free end of the trigger.
Devices of the aforementioned type are available in a variety of embodiments in the prior art and they are employed to prevent a shot from being fired when a firearm is dropped accidentally, for example. The known devices suffer from the drawback that they are not suitable for retrofitting.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a trigger safety device that ensures that a firearm will not fire a shot by accident. Advantageously, the device may be retrofitted to a firearm.
For a device as described above, this object is achieved in that a safety slide is mounted for reciprocation between first and second end positions on the trigger guard, such that the trigger can be freely pivoted in a first end position of the safety slide while it is blocked in the second end position of the safety slide.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the secondary claims and may be combined or separately implemented, as appropriate.
With the device of the invention, the combination of features comprising mounting a safety slide for reciprocal displacement between a first and a second position (e.g., end positions) and adapting the trigger such that it can pivot freely in a first end position of the safety slide but will be blocked in a second end position thereof is achieved. Blockage of the trigger may be caused by a specially designed, standardized, and refittable safety element, i.e., said safety slide, with only small interventions being necessary in the region of the trigger of the weapon for the purpose of installing such locking devices.
According to a first preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, the trigger guard has a linear configuration in the region in which the safety slide is displaceable.
In another preferred embodiment of the device of the invention provision is made for locking means to be mounted on the trigger guard for interaction with corresponding locking elements on the safety slide for locking the same in its first or second end position respectively. For example, such locking elements may be in the form of indentations on the trigger guard. Preferably, there are provided two opposing indentations located on opposite sides of the trigger guard for each of the two end positions of the safety slide.
According to another preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, provision is made for a locking element on the safety slide to be embodied as a resilient spring. The safety slide is preferably provided with two latch springs, each of which is assigned to a front and rear indentation on the trigger guard to define the front and rear end positions of the safety slide respectively. Additionally, the first and second end positions of the safety slide are defined by stop edges on the trigger guard.
According to another preferred embodiment, provision is made for the safety slide to have a top surface to which two side elements are attached, there being provided, on the inside of each side element, a guide rail to guide the movement of the safety slide along the trigger guard. The side elements are preferably of a resilient nature in order to allow the safety slide to be snapped onto the trigger guard manually and to permit manual removal of the safety slide from the trigger guard.
Generally speaking, the safety slide preferably features a profiled surface so that the trigger can move freely in the first position of the safety slide and is blocked by the safety slide in the second end position thereof.
To this end, the safety slide preferably has a curved surface profile that is designed to permit free pivotal movement of the trigger when the safety slide is in its first end position. Additionally, the surface profile of the safety slide preferably has a wedge-shaped surface portion which is constructed in such a manner that pivotal movement of the trigger is blocked when the safety slide is in its second end position.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the wedge-shaped portion of the surface of the safety slide is disposed between the curved surface profile and the locking elements.